195: Turnaround Mindset, with Farla Efros

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2070261/fa...) Cancer doesn’t just threaten your health; it threatens your sense of control.  When Farla Efros got the call that changed everything, she did something unexpected: she treated her diagnosis like the highest-stakes turnaround of her career. She is a retail turnaround specialist who’s rebuilt major brands under intense pressure, and she brings that same focus to survival with one clear blue sky goal guiding every decision. Farla shares how she walks into medical meetings with agendas, research, and a willingness to push back, while still making space for the fear and grief she carries privately. She explains why being fact-based can improve the doctor-patient relationship, how precision-medicine thinking changes the conversation, and why your plan should be measured, updated, and defended when new information arrives. Her relationship-first approach to clinicians is simple but powerful: ask questions about them, recognize the strain of the system, and create collaboration without losing your backbone. If you’ve ever felt steamrolled by healthcare, overwhelmed by information, or unsure how to advocate for yourself or someone you love, you’ll walk away with concrete tactics you can use immediately.  Farla Efros is a retail turnaround specialist with three decades of experience restructuring companies in crisis, having served as Interim CEO of True Religion Brand Jeans and held senior leadership as President of HRC Retail Advisory, part of Accenture Strategy. In 2023, at age 51, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and underwent chemotherapy, targeted immunotherapy, a double mastectomy, and surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes — while also grieving the deaths of her sister to cancer and both of her parents. She wrote about the experience in her book, "F*ck Cancer," approaching her diagnosis the way she approached a consulting project — building a protocol, assembling a team, and documenting the journey with candor and strategic precision. She is now NED (No Evidence of Disease). Website: www.farlaefros.com (http://www.farlaefros.com) Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! (https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_...) Start for FREE Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_...) __________ Producer / Editor: Neel Panji (https://www.podleafproductions.com/about) Invite Manya (https://manyachylinski.com/) to inspire and empower your teams and position your organization as a forward-thinking leader in well-being, resilience, and trauma sensitivity. Learn more: www.manyachylinski.com/services (https://www.manyachylinski.com/services) Subscribe to the newsletter: manyachylinski.com/notes (https://www.manyachylinski.com/notes) Please subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts or your listening platform of choice. It really helps others find us. #trauma #resilience #compassion #MentalHealth #CompassionateLeadership #leadership #survivor